Another Live Trip Report Becoming an Ex-Live Trip Report - Until Next Time!

[OhMari]

The midwest is suppose to be in the 80's the next two days, Oct. 4 & 5, so I bet you will be having some warm days in Florida.

Enjoying your live report.

 

[lucincia]

This morning the girls, well, girl, did the Pirates Cruise out of GF. DD4 had a major meltdown right before the cruise so we pulled her off. DD8 went ahead alone.

Overheard funny comments from couple women standing at the dock watching the boat leave. A woman is complaining to another that this cruise is not what she had expected. She said that for the price of $21.95 she was expecting a private pirate tour with the likes of Jack Sparrow or something like that. I thought she was kidding until I looked over and saw that she was serious and very upset. Imagine that - someone expecting a private tour for 2 hours for $21.95, at WDW no less.

Wow.

Anyway, after DD4 calmed down and she said she learned her lesson, we took her to MK to ride Buzz Lightyear and grabbed some SM FPs for later this evening. We did a few pin tradings and then headed back to GF to pick up DD8. After the boat docked, the CMs still gave DD4 (the rotten stinky little brat) whom had a meltdown earlier) her treasure and lunch bags. But DD4 was happy and thanked her older sister for finding the treasures. It's so easy to please the little ones

I am going to deduct this $21.95 from DD4's college fund ....

We're back in the room now resting up for MNSSHP tonight.

Wish the weather holds out tonight!

 

[lucincia]

Another observation - We stayed at WL last time and this time at GF.

So far, if I have a choice, I would stay at WL. Taking money out of the equation, I like WL so much better. It's so much more laid back, CMs seem to be so much friendlier (rather than pretend high class stuffiness), and I like everything in one building.

And I miss the lobby.

It's nice to have a monorail right there and one stop from MK. But, I think we will go back to WL in 2009 for my in-laws' 40th wedding anniversary.

Time to start planning

 

[Cheerdisney]

Great Report We are leaving in a couple of hrs. I hope it cools off some. How are the crowds?

 

[lucincia]

Great Report We are leaving in a couple of hrs. I hope it cools off some. How are the crowds?

As usual, hit the parks early, at rope drop, and leave after lunch, and you should be okay. Use FPs and any other tricks to shorten your wait in line. Follow other standard advice too, like avoid EMH days (boy, AK killed us yesteday - I believe in those guidebooks now - We stayed couple hours too late after lunch and it became "unfun").

It is actually warming up. 60+ humidity and 90+ temp. Not fun. But, hey! Shower is free back in the hotel room!

We'll be here until Sunday - keep your lime green Mickey ear out!

 

[sandybobandy]

We'll see you at the party tonight!!!

I saw a family wearing lime green at the party last Thursday and asked if they were Diser's. They looked at me like I was crazy and said they didn't know what that was. LOL! I'll be sure to say something if I see you guys!!!

Sandy

 

[lucincia]

We'll see you at the party tonight!!!

I saw a family wearing lime green at the party last Thursday and asked if they were Diser's. They looked at me like I was crazy and said they didn't know what that was. LOL! I'll be sure to say something if I see you guys!!!

Sandy

DD8 will be dressed up as Edna Mode from Incredibles and DD4 will be dressed up as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service (Anime released by Disney here in the States).

 

[lucincia]

We went to LTT for early dinner and the kids enjoyed all the Minnie and Friends interactions. Definitely one of the better places of characters. A lot of characters came around more than once and spent more time than typical "princess" meals.

It poured while we ate, but cleared up before we left LTT. Rest of the evening was great - cooler and no rain!

DW and I agree that MNSSHP is definitely better than MVMCP. The kids loaded up on tons of candies (good variety, with chocholate too). We hit some candy stands early in the evening and they were doling out the candies by handful.

Since it was a Thursday party, the crowd was relatively low.

We did a few rides, watched the fireworks from Crystal Palace location, and saw the headless horseman for the second parade. We then ducked out of MK before the crowd hits the transportation system.

Great end to a nice, rainless evening.

 

[lucincia]

We all slept like dead last night. First time on this vacation I did not wake up in the middle of the night.

Our room faces east, looking across the lake. So we can see all the clouds and storm systems approaching. So far it looks hazy but hope it holds.

This morning is AK.

Heading out now!

 

[LouDisney]

Love your trip report!!!

 

[lucincia]

Looks like DD4 is coming down with a slight cold. So we're going to try to take it easy for the remainder of the trip.

We got to AK and went to Donald's Breakfastsaurus thing for, of course, breakfast shortly after the rope drop. Characters seemed a bit rushed but still enjoyable. The food was okay - your typical breakfast buffet layout. When we were eating, the sky opened up and poured. But it stopped shortly before we finished eating.

Weather luck number one!

DD8 wanted to ride Dinosaur, even though she closed her eyes for most of the ride last time. DD4 was still not feeling well so she and DW sat out this time. Then, we went and stood in line for Nemo. Just when we got to the front of the line, rain started pouring again. The CMs opened all the side doors to let those of us still in line into the building. Got nice seating in the first row behind the central aisle.

Weather luck number two!

It was a nice, short, child-like musical. Yes, not something you can compare to Broadway or Cirque Du Solei, but still enjoyable. The important parts were 1) the kids enjoyed it and 2) we were out of rain!

It was sunny after we exited the show. DD4 did not want to ride EE today - guess her slight cold is making her grouchy. So I decided to take DD8 on EE once (using the FPs we got earlier in the day) and then DW taking DD8 on it for one last time on this trip (using FPs again).

As we headed toward the exit, it started raining again. Luckily we ducked into a gift shop just in time. Waited for the rain to subside and then threw on our ponchos.

Weather luck number three!

Back at GF now. Tonight is Fantasmic. Hopefully the weather will be as cooperative for us as earlier in the day!

Here is hoping for weather luck number four!

Today, DD4 got couple more Tinkerbell pin sets, one to keep and one to give away. I tell you, this kid is like Tinkerbell pin magnet.

 

[lucincia]

After a short rest @ GF, we went to DS for our Mama Melrose ADR and Fantasmic. We did a lot of pin tradings in the shops of DS. Both DDs also got their own medals for the lanyards. We are truely becoming pin trading addicts. DW and I figure it's a nice way to get the DDs engaged with the CMs, and something else to do than running from ride to ride.

Mama Melrose - Well, not much to write home about. Our waiter was friendly and was semi-attentative in the beginning, but half way through the meal he stopped asking us if we needed drink refills, even though our glasses were empty. He also took both our entree and dessert orders at the same time, which was a bit weird, IMHO. Nothing spectacular about the food.

As for Fantasmic, well, it got rained out. We got a pass for tomorrow night's performance. We'll see if we're up to it (and if the weather cooperates).

Boy, rain is fun at times, but too many really bites. Never again will we come to WDW in September and October. We so love the week after Thanksgiving and that is the time frame we will be aiming from now on.

Early night tonight. Tomorrow morning is the last full day at WDW. So sad.

 

[lucincia]

Sorry about no live trip reports for Day 10 and Day 11. DW and I asked DDs if they want to sleep or play during the last two days at WDW. Needless to say, they said play. So we stayed up late during those times and got up way early for rope drop. We hit EPCOT and MK during the last two days and got a few more "dreams". Needless to say, I was too wiped on each day to log on and do any trip reporting!

We're back home now and will be updating this trip log with more details, photos, and observations/opinions within next couple days.

 

[lucincia]

This was the last full day for us at WDW. We asked our DD8 and DD4 early on if they want to play or sleep during our last 2 days at WDW. Needless to say, they said play. So we tried to see how far we can push ourselves in these last two days. Sleep is overrated!

I have given up looking at weather reports. I monitor three sites - weather.com, accuweather.com and weatherunderground.com. All three sites would show almost completely different, sometimes opposite, forecasts. And most of the time, all three would be wrong.

With ponchos, umbrellas, and Crocs, who cares about rain, right?

This morning I was on the balcony looking out over the Seven Seas Lagoon. The view from our room stretched unobstrusively from the Space Mountain to the left to the Polynesian to the right. We could see a vast expanse of the eastern horizon where all the storm fronts moved in from. I saw this morning that it was raining to the south, where EPCOT is, but over MK and our area it was partly sunny. I guess this is meant by some weather forecast when they said isolated thunder showers.

We headed out to EPCOT this morning and hit Test Track. Grabbed a FP and went into the standby line. Waited 10 minutes and went screaming around the track with DW, DD8 and DD4. Our little DD4 is turning out to be a little daredevil. We have to keep her arms down on rides such as Space Mountain and Expedition Everest, as she tried to mimick the older riders.

She enjoyed Test Track and wanted to try again. On the way through the exit area, we stopped and took some pictures with DDs sitting in a car. A CM came over and DDs traded some pins with her. Then she asked them if they liked Test Track. DD4 turned on her charms and said yes. The nice CM (Steve was her name) then gave us a VIP pass so that we could go back through the exit area and proceed directly to the front of the queue to ride again! There was a funny CM at the front of the queue and told DW and I that we should sit in the back and be the backseat drivers while the DDs sit in the front. Then he stuck a poor boy who was riding single (8 or 9 years old) next to DD8 (who was sitting in the middle seat of the front row).

DW and I had fun on that ride. We kept leaning forward and asking DD8 who was her new boyfriend. It went something like this, repeatedly -

Me: So, who's your new boyfriend?
DD8: Be quiet, daddy!
Me: So, are you guys holding hands?
DD8: DADDY!
Me: So, what's your new boyfriend's name?
DD8: DADDY! BE QUIET!

Meanwhile, the poor boy was slouching lower and lower in his seat, probably thinking he had entered Twilight Zone. All through the ride, DW and I were screaming in the backseat while the DDs screamed with delight. Not sure what the boy thought of all this, but he quickly slinked away after the ride was over - probably thought this whole family is a bunch of wackos.

We went over to Lands and rode the Living Land. Amazingly, DDs enjoyed the ride. We saw Circle of Life too. I guess this is an educational morning for the DDs!

We got lunch at the CS at China Pavilion. I was expecting bad Chinese food, but was not expecting it to be this bad. OMG, never again.

DW wanted to go back to GF to pack and get some rest. So she left DDs with me and we went off to see Figment. Then we went to Test Track again but found that it was down for maintenance. The nice CM we saw earlier from the Test Track queue was there and he recognized us. He gave us couple more VIP passes so when the ride opens up, we can jump to the front again. But too bad we had to leave. So we gave those special passes to couple other people.

DD8, DD4 and I went to MK to grab some FPs for SM, since MK was staying open late until midnight tonight. DW joined us there and we did some pin trading and shopping.

Had dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Character interactions were okay, food was okay. Having the step sisters there is a nice touch - something different from all the cute characters and princesses at other locations.

That night we spent time in MK and did a lot of rides, especially SM. around 10 PM, DD4 could not take it any more so DW took her back to GF. I stayed in the park with DD8 until 11:30-ish.

Today ended up to have a great weather. Crowd was getting bigger though, due to the long weekend.

 

[lucincia]

Got up way early this morning to check our luggages in at the airline checkin counter @ GF. Then we checked out and got to MK by 7:30 AM.

Late night and then early morning - we're going for broke here! Amazingly DD8 and DD4 all behaved relatively well here, considering the circumstance. Guess they wanted to play just as hard as DW and I!

Weather was good today. Only time it poured was when we had lunch at CHH. Once we finished eating, the sky cleared up again. What luck!

Today was little ones' EMH, so we hit the usuals in the first hour - Dumbo, Pooh, Snow White, and Small World. DDs never rode Tea Cup before (we always bypassed it) but they wanted to try it this time. So we let them ride it three times in a row. This screwed up our timeline, since when we got to Peter Pan, it was a 20 minutes wait. Doesn't matter. We can use FP later anyway. DDs were having so much fun in the teacup spinning it together that DW and I did not have the heart to drag them out of there.

Afterwards, DW and DDs went to Haunted Mansion after the rest of the park opened. I went to SM to grab FPs. By 9:30 AM, SM's standby line was 25 minutes already. Luckily, we got several special passes from a CM yesterday. We were at the entrance and DDs started pin trading with a nice CM. We chatted a bit. Another CM came over and DDs traded with him too. At this time, the first CM walked away to a podium, started scribbling out something, and walked back with several of these special forms. We could use them to skip to the front of the queue on any attractions we want (better than FPs!) We used some on SM today and used the last one on Speed Way, since there is no FP for that ride. The wait was 50 minutes by lunch time. Luckily we had these special passes.

We got regular FPs for Peter Pan and Buzz.

By early afternoon, we were down to our last three rides. We did SM using special pass, Buzz using normal FP, and then SM using special pass for one last time.

Then we tried to go to the Wishing Well, but the path was closed. The DDs instead just threw their pennies into the castle moat and made their wishes.

Then we left MK for GF where ME took us to the airport.

Back home safely now. Another WDW over. Time to organize the memories for scrapbooking and photo purpose. And, of course, time to plan for the next WDW trip!

More photos and observations/opinions coming soon. But, thank you all for reading!

 

[lucincia]

Final stats on the trip -

9 days and 8 nights @ WDW.

Stayed @ GF, Boca Chica, 8413.

View out of the room, unobstrusive from SM to Poly. Castle obstructed about 50% behind a tall tree. Can view 50%+ of the fireworks at night from balcony.

Will we stay at GF? Most likely not unless it is a convention, good deal, and paid by the employer. We like WL better. It has more "Disney Magic" for us. GF is a nice hotel and it's nice to be on the monorail. But, it's not a 5 stars hotel like one would expect when paying that kind of money. I would rather stay at WL, save a little money, and get more Disney feel and magic there. If I want a 5 stars hotel treatment, I will go off property.

Will we visit during this time of the year again? Most likely not. We enjoy the weather in early December better. Not big pool people so cooler weather will not be a factor for us.

Will we use dining plan again? Most likely not. We don't like to be restricted by reservations. We will still have TS, but just not as many.

Brought at least 50 trading pins.

Purchased at least 10 pins at WDW.

Pin traded with CM at least half a dozen times between rides, except during little ones' EMH in the mornings.

Dream FPs - DS and EPCOT

Dream Tinkerbell pin sets - At least 15 sets

Special VIP passes - Test Track

Special any ride front of the queue passes - MK

DIS Members met because of lime green Mickey ears - 2

DIS Members met, period - 2